Chair



Aug. 24,1926. 1,596,909

F. H. WEEKS CHAIR Filed Dec. 17 1924 lNVENToR Piede/,2M Wee/2s,

WITNESSES Il 1.'. l ,l l MK3 ,gj/4 um WM ATTORNEYS I Patented Aug.' 24, 1926.

of the le UNiTEn STATES Iwrlein'rl ortica.

FREDERICK H. WEEKS, F AKRN, OHIO.

CHAIR.

Application led December 17, 1924. Serial No. 756,492.

This invention relates to an improvement in chairs, and it consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

. An object of the invention is to provide a chair which is capable of being ut to a number of uses, the construction beine such that it is convertible into a step lad er or a-high-chair at will.

Other objects and advantages will appear substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

In carrying out the invention use is made of a number ofparts found in the familiar household chair.'v For example, the seat 1 is supported by the side, back and front rails, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, these in turn p being supported 'by the back supports 5 and'le'gs 6. The back supports are long and constitute a pair of legsl according to cus-l p tom. The legs are stren hened by an arrangement of braces vincuding thel center.

brace 7. The back supports carry a pair of back boards 8 and 9, and it is the latter of these which constitute. one of the elements of the invention.

The back board 9, which may well .be termed the intermediate back 'board, has trunnions 10 (Fig. 5) which vare slidable in slots 11'on the inside of the back sup rts 5. These trunnionsproject from the si es of the intermediate board 9 near one edge, and at the same side near the opposite edge the board has pivotal mountings 12 at which the metallegs 13 are attached. The opposite ends of these legs are pivoted at 14 (Fig.

3) to the insides of the side rails 2,l the seat 1 being slotted at 15 to permit passage It will e observed that the metallic plates 13 have oii'sets 22. These lofsets are for Figure 5 is a detail sectional` view vtaken -much on the order ofthe or the purpose of abutting the rear ends of the slots 15 when 'the intermediate back board 19 is moved into position between the back supports 5. The engagement of the offsets 22 with the rear ends of the slots provides an abutment which prevents thev lower edge of the board 9 from swinging loosely or from swinging backward out of the support 5 when a person rests in the chair.

A step 16 has mounting between the front legs 6 of the chair. A bar of iron, suitably bent, rovides both the pivot for this step and a sol the support which holds the step inthe extende'dposition lshown in vli`igure 2. The bar spoken of is bent to provide av U-support. 17 It is then bent to produce a 'p pair of parallel portions 1'8 (Fig. 4) further bent to provide angledl rtions 19, finally terminating in lateral ugs 20- which occupy holesin the sides of the' legs 6 r'and thereby rovide the ivotal mounting spoken' o The parallel) portions`18 are held in place beneath thestep 16 by suitable clips 21 or other appropriate fastening means. l

Fivure 1 that when the intermediate board 9 is moved'in place -between the back suports 5 and the step 16is turned over beneath the chair seat thatan appearance very inary chair is resented.

Should the occasion arise -to use thev device as a high chair'the lower edge of the backboard 9 is pulled up and forwardfwhereupon. the metal legs v13 swingen their various The operation and use ofthe'chair is now readily understood. vIt is plainly seen in pivots andthe trunnions 10 slide down in the slots 11 until the limit of movement is reached. A child maybe seated on the latform or board 9, the seat 1 of the chair ing used as a foot rest. Upon desiring to use the device as a temporaryv step ladder the board 9 is dpulled up and forward asalready describe and the step 16 is swung around on its pivots until the U-eupport 17 rests on the floor. The parts 16, 1 and 12 now constitute the steps of a. ladder.v A

Itmay be found desirable to merely employ the' step 16 as a' foot rest for a. person v seated in the chair. 'It is only necessary' to then: swing-.the step 16 around luntil the U-supp'ort 17 meets the floorr The 'center U0 brace 7 limits the inward movement ofthe step 16 when revolved upon its pivots, into the inoperative position.

There are several items of construction which mustbe taken into consideration as beingr of considerable importance in a device of this kind. It is to be noted in Figures l, 2 and 3 that the back supports 5 curve rearwardly quite decidedly but not sulliciently to be objectionable. The perpendicular position o't' the trunnions l() falls well within the point where the back supports ,rest on the. floor. This bein;Y so in respect to the trunnions, it is obvious that the center of gravity ol' a person standingr on the plat vform 'l2 will l'all well within thel place of contact. upon the floor of the back supports, thereby obriaiiner the possibility of the step ladder from tippingr over backward. It is iniportalit that this be prevented.

Another special feature resides in the ar'- ranggement ol the bottom step 16. Any weight placed upon the step is applied directly to the floorthrough Vthe U-support 1T and the lugs Q0 which are attached to the chair legs 6. The chair structure is therefore spared any Strains which would be imposed thereon if the bottom step were supported solely upon the chair.

'hile the construction and arrangement of the improved chair is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

1. A chair including side rails, and a seat having parallel slots, back supports having slots, a back board having trunnions movable in the latter slots. and metal legs pivoted at the lextremities to the back board and side rails respectively, said legs extendingr through the seat slots for the latter purpose and having,r oll'sets to rest against one end of the slots and thereby limit the movement of the'baek board when moved in place between the back supports.

2. A chair including side rails, and a seathavin; r parallel slots, back supports having slots7 a back board haring `side tnnnions` near one edge. said runnions heini;T morable in the latter slots, a pair of legs. means by which the legs are pivoted at one end to the sides of the back board near the edge opposite to said trunnions. means by which the opposite ends ol the lees are pivoted to the side rails` said legs extending;- through the seat slots for the purpose of effecting .said pivoting. and oll'sets formed in the legs to rest against certain ends ot' the slots when said board is folded back within the back supports, thereby preventing said last-men tioned edge from Swingin@ backward.

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